It's not just rational; it's also sensible. This handout helps to impart characteristics of the Enlightenment Period so that students may have a basis from which to understand both history and literature. This information is concise and to the point in explaining the historical context and political climate of that time. It's a ditto that may be consulted when students read such famous documents as the Declaration of Independence, Patrick Henry's Speech to the Virginia Convention, and Ben Frankl